Networking pros...HELP!!!

OK, so I get my new machine at work and have been having nothing but probs ever since...
Dell 8400
80 gig
1 gig ram
XP pro
office 2003
onboard ethernet
onboard sound

I don't expect everyone to understand how my estimating software works, but I hope someone will be able to clue in as to why i can't get access to my mapped drive.
Tech support for the software blames my network...My tech says, no network probs.
This machine is a server, but also a workstation... So I have to set up these "ghost drives" as a network place. The software co. says I have to map a special folder as a separate drive...I create the folder, and map, when I install the software I have to browse to this map. It will not allow a new folder to be placed within this folder/"drive" to create the program.
I think I've narrowed it down to this...I have no access rights to the networked "ghost" I cannot create any new folders to this "drive".
I'm just guessing here, though.
Any help would sure catch me up on my workload, that will have to be closed out for the month!!!
Thanks in advance guys...

If bread always lands buttered side down...
And a cat always lands on it's feet...
What happens when you strap a buttered piece of bread to a cat's back?????

What error message are you getting when you try to create a folder within the folder that appears to you as the root of the mapped drive? That would help give us an idea of where to start.

You say the PC is a server as well as being your workstation? That's an unusual arrangement, to say the least. What is it a server for? Data, applications, printing?

Where is the physical drive that you're creating the drive mapping on? Your computer? Another computer?

The more we know about how your network is configured (and what errors you're getting) the easier it will be to suggest a direction for you to look in.

BTW, have you asked your network administrator if your permissions on the target drive could be the problem? It should be a matter of a few minutes for him/her to check the security on the folder and either to give you the required access immediately or tell you your company's procedure for requesting the appropriate access.

I agree with the permissions issue. Answer me this, did your user name and password change? What about the computer name? I am sure that something along these lines changed and your net tech has not made all the necessary authorizations. I have seen this many times with our company software. You must tell the tech that you need full permissions to the directory and sub directories. Meaning full permissions, read, write, modify, etc...

If there is a domain in place on your company network these permissions will be need to made on the server if it is your user account. If it is the permissions on the shares they will have to check the security tabs and make sure you are listed thee with the appropriate permission.

Sounds like the Christo's on the right track. If the software you're using or the resource you're sharing on a peer-to-peer network uses the computer name as part of the security to control acccess, your computer may have a new name, and therefore not be on the access list. Where I work we incorporate the our inventory asset control number into the computer name when we join a machine to our network's domain. If I gave you a new machine on our network, you'd definitely have a different computer name, and this would affect any programs that authenticated the machine was well as (or instead of) the user account. I went through exactly this with some security software when an electrical problem in my office caused me to lose two computers in the space of a month.

There are some departments, and even individual users, within my agency that use all sorts of oddball software that nobody bothers telling us about. Then when we either deliver new machines, or wipe and re-image the hard drives of existing boxes we upgrade from Windows 2K to XP, we hear about it later when they can't get into their programs. We generally manage to work things out for them.

Thanks for the replies guys,
I am the network administrator:b. It is a two-station peer-to-peer. (a small town bodyshop) This machine doubles it's duty.
It is may main customer database/estimating, Dealer services, internet, you name it, engine!! As well as workstation. I know it's crazy, but that's how it's set up... I believe therin lies the problem as well.
The program in question is requiring me to setup a "ghost drive" map of the special folder. Hence a network within the machine itself.

As I am replacing an old server that fried... Yes. to all
I have set myself up as administrator rights in XP at original setup.
I have set up the C drive to share and allow others to change files.
I have set up the application/"ghost" folder to share and be changed as well.
When I check the properties and de-select read only/apply/ok.
I re-enter proprerties and it is still "read only"
Is this my trouble? I just found this today.
I am allowed to create a new folder within the created original folder, but not within the "ghost"

If bread always lands buttered side down...
And a cat always lands on it's feet...
What happens when you strap a buttered piece of bread to a cat's back?????

I need to run it in this configuration to have it on both machines...and update on both machines. Ie; if I write an estimate or do a supplement on the workstation...I need it to reflect the changes to the actual estimate. It can run stand alone, however.

If bread always lands buttered side down...
And a cat always lands on it's feet...
What happens when you strap a buttered piece of bread to a cat's back?????

Does the program know where it has to look for the data? There should be a place where you tell it to point to. Do not map the machine to itself. Just tell it that the data base is in C:whateverdirectory.

Also, check the permissions where the user maps to. Lets say you are using a mapping of M. Make sure that M:whateverdirectory has the user name of the client on the share side and the security side. You can get here by right clicking the directory on the server and left clicking on sharing. Click make new share if it is not shared already, get rid of the administrative share, (the share with the $). Make sure the user is in there with full permissions. Then click on the security side add the user in there and make sure the user has full rights as well. I guess make sure both the server machine login and the client machine login are in both places.

What kind of error do you get when you try to connect.

At work, we have one program that needs special mapping. It actually needs the root drive to be shared and the mapping has to go through. Example: the program needs to connect to folder "A" on the servers "C" drive. We have to share the c drive with full permission to this user. Sometimes even folder "A" has to have the same share done. Now, the mapping has to be to the "C" drive of the server because the program knows to look for folder "A".

So the mapping would look like this M:CA...

Does this program have a place where you can tell it the path to the data base?

Ok, I'm REALLY PISSED now!!!
My techie comes in today and has me up and runnin' in about 4 mins!!!!!!! I reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaalllly hate you midas touch guys!!!:b
Anyways, he says he really didn't do anything different than I was trying to do... The difference is, it just cost my department about a hundee. Thanks anyways for all the hep Christo.

If bread always lands buttered side down...
And a cat always lands on it's feet...
What happens when you strap a buttered piece of bread to a cat's back?????

yup, literally.
I really didn't have the time to watch him, but he said that he disconnected the mapped drive to the folder that the program needs...(which I did!!) created the folder in the c: drive, (which I did!!!!) re mapped to it and VOILA'!!!!
WHICH I DID... A THOUSAND TIMES IN THE WEEK THAT I WAS TRYING TO GET IT UP AND RUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!

If bread always lands buttered side down...
And a cat always lands on it's feet...
What happens when you strap a buttered piece of bread to a cat's back?????